Should I Not Return

Should I Not Return is the story of a young east coast climber, who joins his brother in Alaska to climb Mount McKinley. What set their climb apart from those before it, and even those afterward, was a disaster of such magnitude that it became know as North America’s worst mountaineering tragedy.

Mountaineering Club of Alaska

The Upper slopes of Denali, showing the early Pioneer Routes of 1910, 1912, 1913, and the 17,900-foot high camp of both the Wilcox and MCA teams. (Photo Credit: Bradford Washburn, courtesy of the Decaneas Archive, and Betsy Washburn Cabot.)

Ascenders

“The author is shown above using the ascending devices called ‘jumars’ used by climbers for climbing up a rope. In this case the author is slowly climbing upward from the depths of a deep crevasse on the Eklutna Glacier.”

“The Fake Peak”

“Frederick A. Cook’s photo of blacksmith Ed Barrill standing atop a peak claimed by Dr. Cook to be the actual summit of Mt. McKinley. In fact, this photo was taken of a peak nearly twenty miles from the true summit of Denali. Barrill’s classic remark to Belmore Browne as they walked the beach at Seldovia convinced Browne that something was awry. “I can tell you all about the big peaks just south of the mountain, but if you want to know about McKinley, go and ask Cook.”

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All of the plays posted on "The Brainpan" are the original work of the blog's main author, Randy Ford, and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's permission. You may reach the author at thebrainpan@gmail.com.